Lifesaving Devices Can Cause Havoc at Life’s EndNew York Times

When her father’s cancer became terminal, Carol Filak realized that making his final days comfortable involved something she had never thought about — turning off his heart defibrillator.
A doctor friend told Ms. Filak about horrible scenes he had witnessed in which a defibrillator had shocked a dying patient, causing pain and terrifying family members gathered at the bedside.